If you were injured on the job in Pennsylvania, workers’ compensation benefits can help you get back on your feet by covering your medical expenses and a portion of your lost wages. In most cases, these benefits are only available for as long as it takes you to recover and resume your usual job duties. However, if you suffered a permanent partial or total disability, you may be entitled to these benefits for much longer.
This raises an important question: What happens to your workers’ comp benefits if you retire? The answer will depend on your circumstances. Employers and insurance companies will be eager for any excuse to stop paying you, including by arguing that you should no longer be entitled to benefits once you exit the workforce.
Can I Retire While on Workers’ Compensation in Pennsylvania?
Your eligibility for workers’ comp benefits is based on your inability to continue earning the average weekly wages you collected before you suffered your work-related injury. However, if your inability to continue earning your usual wages is unrelated to your workplace injury, you may no longer be eligible for wage loss benefits.
This means if you decided to retire voluntarily, your inability to continue earning regular wages would not be injury-related, so you may not be entitled to continue receiving workers’ comp wage loss benefits. But if you were forced into retirement because your job injury prevented you from working in any capacity, you could still be eligible for wage loss benefits.
Put simply, your eligibility to receive workers’ comp benefits depends on whether your injury puts you out of work or whether you decide to retire on your own.
Does Workers’ Comp Affect Retirement Benefits?
Unless you’re an employee of the federal government, you may be entitled to collect workers’ comp benefits and retirement benefits at the same time. Many workers’ comp recipients also qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, which automatically turn into retirement benefits as soon as you reach full retirement age.
If you begin collecting retirement benefits after a Pennsylvania workplace injury, your workers’ comp benefits will be reduced by 50 cents for every dollar you receive in retirement benefits. However, if you were already collecting retirement benefits when the workplace injury occurred, your workers’ comp benefits should not be affected.
Talk to Our Skilled Workers’ Compensation Attorneys in Harrisburg, PA Today
If you are considering retirement and wondering how your decision could impact your workers’ comp benefits, contact the trusted Harrisburg workers’ compensation attorneys at Calhoon & Kaminsky P.C. today. We can review your situation at no cost to you in a free initial consultation and help you determine the best way to maximize your benefits as you transition into retirement.
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For more than 20 years, our attorneys have been helping injured workers navigate the complex Pennsylvania workers’ compensation system. We empower workers with the information and the representation they need to make the best decisions for themselves and their families’ future.
